December 2012

This has been quite a week. Crazy rumors about projects I might be taking on in the new year, the release of the first digital chapter of Strange Attractors (and the first feedback on that chapter…), actually finishing Strange Attractors and turning all of the files in to the publisher, the release of the Mankind graphic novel from the History Channel featuring one of my stories and of course, Christmas around the corner as well as the onset of 2013.

It’s been good. I’d like to quickly chat about all of this stuff before I delve into a short holiday break – no time for a long one, and sometimes it feels like I’ll never have time for a long vacation again. But I’m not complaining!

1. The crazy rumor.

No comment! All I will say is that the rumor generated a lot of supportive tweets, FB posts and so on, and regardless of its veracity, I was extremely touched by people’s apparent faith that if a rumor like that were true, that I could do a good job. Thank you!

2. Strange Attractors finished.

In case you’re coming to this blog for the first time (which seems possible – I’ve been getting a lot of traffic recently, presumably because of (1)), Strange Attractors is my next big creator-owned project, a story about two complexity mathematicians who figure out how to manipulate all of New York City’s layered systems to turn it into kind of an engine. It’s very grounded sci-fi, I suppose, and I’m very excited about it. It’s due out from Archaia this March, as one of their beautiful hardcovers.

Anyway, the book is indeed finished! The team and I worked overtime over the last few weeks to get everything done, and it feels like we spent as much time on the last minute tweaks as we did putting the whole book together. That’s obviously not true – the first art for this book came in around July 2010 (most of that hasn’t been used, except for the final cover by Dan Duncan), and the final team has been working on it steadily since May 2011. Regardless, it’s without a doubt the most complex and time-consuming project I’ve ever done, on all levels, and I hope that people enjoy what we created. As a taste – there will be plenty more to come, I’m sure – here’s the very last piece of art I got for the book, one of the amazing complexity maps created by Robert Saywitz. They’re amazing on their own, and even cooler as they’re used in the story. Check it out:

Gorgeous.

3. Strange Attractors Digital!

As I’ve discussed here and there in the past, Strange Attractors is getting a Digital First release from Archaia, which means that it will be serialized in roughly four chapters leading up to the release of the hardcover. It’s set up to be read on your digital devices – e-readers, ipads, etc. The first chapter is available now, right here. Totally affordable, too – $2.99 for 26 full-color, gorgeous pages! Treat yourself – it’s the holidays!

We even got our first review, from the cool folks at Comicosity. They gave it a 9.0/10, and here’s a representative quote:

“I highly recommend this first chapter in Strange Attractors.”

Whaddya want? If you need more, click over – I’d love to send them the hits. Suffice it to say, they dug it, which is incredibly encouraging and gratifying. Getting something new out into the world is always nerve-wracking, and it’s wonderful to be able to think that the time and effort we’ve put in might connect with readers.

3. Mankind: the Story of All of Us

Over the summer, I wrote a story for the second volume of the graphic novel series the History Channel put together to be released in conjunction with their epic miniseries Mankind: The Story of All of Us. It’s the biggest production they’ve ever done, a multi-part series covering the evolution of human society over the millennia. Super cool, and I was thrilled to have a part in it. I wrote a 16-page story entitled “The Gun,” which deals with the invention and innovation surrounding firearms, mostly in China, and it’s really great stuff. The art’s wonderful, and the other stories are all amazing too. You can get it here – I think it might be a great gift for teen readers, if you know any young folks into history (not bad for adults, either!) Here’s the kickass Neal Adams cover:

And there you have it. I’m sure we’ll have a lot more to talk about soon – 2013 is looking like a really big year, and I couldn’t be more excited about it.

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About the Site:

Charles Soule – writer.

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LETTER 44! My ongoing sci-fi tale about a President who learns at his inauguration that the previous administration discovered an alien presence in the asteroid belt and covered it up. Now, it’s his problem. Alien meets House of Cards. Get it here!